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Land Scaping: Seven Steps to a Spectacular Lawn this Spring... ARA Content

(ARA) - Spring is the time for renewal; think of it as similar to getting your body ready for beach season. If you want washboard abs come July, you better start working out a lot earlier than that. If you want a lush, green lawn that's the envy of the neighborhood, you've got to be its personal trainer and break a little sweat on these seven steps to a spectacular lawn this season.

1. Soil Testing Made Simple Good lawn care starts with calling an agricultural extension agent to perform a soil test, Bob Richardson, soil scientist says. "Most people don't know what their lawn needs as far as nutrients go," he says. "The easiest thing people can do is take soil samples from two to three different sections of their lawn and have their local university analyze the results. They can tell you exactly what nutrients your lawn needs and in what amounts."

2. Aerating-Gone-Easy As lawns age or sustain heavy traffic, soil compaction can result. Soil compaction is most severe in poorly drained or wet sites. Roots require oxygen to grow and absorb nutrients and water. Compaction reduces the amount of air within the soil. This results in poor top growth and a deteriorating lawn.

Aeration benefits your lawn by increasing water, nutrient and oxygen movement in the soil. It also helps improve rooting and prevents run-off.

Until now, aeration was hard work, expensive, and time consuming. This spring there's a new liquid aeration product that you spray on your lawn with a hose. LazyMan Liquid Soil Aerator covers 100 percent of your lawn, is chemical free and actually adds nutrients, increases much needed airflow and boosts the earthworm population (nature's aerator) underground.

3. Mowing and Raking Regularly How often you mow your lawn depends on the type of grass you have and how quickly it grows. A good rule of thumb is the "1/3 Rule." Never mow more than 1/3 of your leaf blade off at a time. Therefore, if your lawn is 3 inches high, don't cut off more than 1 inch.

The raking process removes dead leaves and debris and actually helps control thatch. Leaves and dead grass will block air and sun and ultimately damage the grass. For an easy spray-on dethatcher, use LazyMan Liquid Lawn Dethatcher and it's 100 percent organic!

4. Watering Weekly Lawn experts say the type of grass you have will determine your watering frequency. Most grasses require a 1-inch watering about once per week along with one deep watering. For best germination, newly seeded lawns should be watered every day.

5. Weed Whacking, Bug Busting, Disease Fighting Do's! For upkeep's sake, be sure to watch for insects, weeds and any colored patches in your grass that can impair the health of your lawn. If you notice insect damage, spray with an all-purpose lawn insecticide. All weeds should be pulled immediately to prevent them from seeding and spreading.

6. Feed-N-Fertilize Frequently Grass craves periodic feeding and it is best to fertilize with a slow release fertilizer, which releases nutrients over time, rather than all at once. LazyMan Liquid Lawn Fertilizer is used to enhance plant growth, root formation, reduce water and heat stress.

7. Overseeding Solution If your lawn is riddled with bare patches due to pet spots, heavy traffic or neglect, you may need to apply grass seed to fill in those bare patches. The solution is commonly known as "overseeding." Overseeding is just what it sounds like -- you sow seeds right over your existing grass in order to fill in the bare patches. For a wide variety of seed for every region of the country as well as customized blends to meet your exact specifications visit www.outsidepride.com.

Great looking lawns don't just happen, but if you follow these training tips you can rest assured your lawn will be a pumped-up, lean, mean, green machine this season!